Going home!

:)

It's been an amazing experience, but I can't wait to get on that plane and be back in the good ol' US of A.

Bicilavadora...Indian style

After feeling kind of down about all the intangibilities (if that's a word) and disappointments we're encountering in our health projects, Pulkit and I decided to focus on something more concrete for awhile. We turned our attention to a project that we've been talking about since the first time we had to do laundry by hand - making a pedal-powered washing machine. 

Much easier said than done, but 3.5 days and 3300 Rs (not including things like buying soft drinks for the workers or excess/wasted materials) after we decided to do it, we were doing our laundry by foot rather than by hand. The design may not be the sturdiest but hey, it's working and it made it through a nerve-wracking, pothole-filled drive from Bageshwar to Devaldhar while roped to the top of a car.

Irfan welding. notice lack of gloves, real shoes, and face mask. On the plus side, the sunglasses make him look pretty cool.

Irfan making holes in the inner drum, by hand. He was a little strange but a true artisan and very skilled at what he does.

Almost done! 

Test run :)

Having a project that is a product is so nice sometimes. It's such a great feeling to be able to see, touch and use something you have made. Personal satisfaction factor is very high, unlike it is for public health projects...

The future of this bicilavadora? Chirag plans on showcasing it in the villages and promoting it as a labor-saving product. People (mainly women) spend at least 2 hours/day doing laundry, and this should cut the time down to 1 hour (for 2 loads) and they won't have to get their hands wet or wring dry, two other complaints about handwashing. We'll definitely leave behind recommendations for modifications, and hopefully there will be demand from the women since we can probably reduce the cost to 2500 Rs or less (50 USD), and that's a pretty reasonable price around here. The workers at Khetwal Industries where this was made may (hopefully) be able to start a business of their own with this but we'll see... Ideally, someone in Chirag or an intern with an interest in appropriate technology/mechE/business would take up this project and 1) modify the design 2) promote/trial it in villages and get feedback from women 3) work with local welders/artisans to manufacture and sell more of these. Any takers?